Hong Kong's renaming of shoebox homes does nothing to mask its inequality crisis
Hong Kong’s cage homes and subdivided flats are the most depressing signs of poverty and inequality spreading across the city, says former SCMP editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei. CNA
The above title appeared in the CNA and talked about the painful and ugly sight of such tiny abodes in Hong Kong with the poor crammed into little living space called homes. The issue of inequality stares at everyone reading the article. The question is that it is not just an issue of inequality. True, there are people that are not smart or clever enough to make a good life for themselves. There are irresponsible people that would not want to work for a better life. There are those that could not do so for reasons beyond their abilities, the sick, old, illiterate, born into poverty etc etc.
The problem of small living space is also a systemic problem. It is also a problem of the state, of the govt. It is also a responsibility of the govt, to allocate resources, funds and policies on adequate decent housing. The govt cannot ignore such problems while allocating funds to for other needs. A clear act of irresponsibility is in the USA, the richest and most powerful country in the world, spending trillions yearly on wars, spending billions to spread disinformation and lies and skimping on providing housing for the abject poor Americans. Hong Kong is a poor country. It is rich and has the funds and ability to provide decent housing for its unfortunate citizens. Capitalism must not be given a free hand to run the economy at the expense of the weak and unfortunate.
A govt must be responsible to provide decent housing for its citizens. Period. There is no excuses for not doing so. The Hong Kong govt can do it and must do it. If not it is an irresponsible govt.
Up till the 1960s, Singapore too had a lot of people living in cramp quarters, in rickety sheds, closed built and attached to each other, wooden makeshift structures that could not withstand a fire to burn down a whole village. The govt then made a decision to change the living conditions of the people by building decent housing for all its citizens. The rest is history.
The good housing that Singaporeans are enjoying cannot be taken for granted. An irresponsible govt may come along and change everything and turn Singapore into Hong Kong. What it needs is a joker to compare Singapore with Hong Kong and say, Hong Kong people can live in cramp little quarters, so Singaporeans too can be like wise. And building smaller units of public housing means more space to build more housing to provide housing for more foreigners. To such irresponsible nitwits, it would be a great idea. Poor and incapable people do not deserve much. Clever and rich people can live in 10,000 sq fit or 100,000 sq ft housing. Poor people, no clever people can live like the squalid cage homes of Hongkongers.
Singaporeans must beware that the govt they elect does not start to shrink the sizes of HDB flats to become like Hong Kong. Everyday comparing with Hong Kong housing and using Hong Kong as a yard stick of what is acceptable. Any politician that harbours such silly thought must be booted out immediately. It is not about inequality. It is systemic inequality perpetuated by an irresponsible govt. It does not need to be so. Hong Kong govt needs to buck up and change the housing policy for the good of its people in general.
China uplifted more than 800 billion people from poverty with better housing than the cage homes of the Hongkongers. China can do it, why can't Hong Kong, why can't the USA?
6 comments:
The quality of health care is falling fast here.
Nowadays they push patients to see doctors via tele-medicine (where u don't get to see the doctor in person and the consultation ends in just a matter of minutes), and push patients to see GPs instead of outpatient specialists (eg heart-condition patient seen by GP).
Remember that Hong Kong was under British rule for more than 150 years, from 1841 until 1997. The root of all these overcrowded housing was never addressed during those one and a half century. The Brits Administration, the big banks, business houses and property speculators were preoccupied with making money in Hong Kong, not lifting people out of poverty. Who is now talking about inequality or irresponsibility?
China is supposed to let Hong Kong have its own way for 50 years after 1997 and is in no position to interfere in Hong Kong other than security issues. Hong Kong still belongs to China and security is paramount. If lifting poverty comes into the picture after 1997, doing that is going to result in accusations of human rights abuses, such as forcing Hong Kong citizens to vacate areas for redevelopment to tackle the issues.
Talking about responsibility, what about discussing about those tents lying along the streets of USA cities? Homelessness is even more of an inequality and irresponsibility of the Government than having crammed spaces. Why isn't Channel News America picking on the irresponsibility of the USA Government to tackle the issue? Why are the MSM not talking about the genocides in Gaza, the genocides in North America, the fake love of the Muslims in Xinjiang and the real love of the Muslims in Gaza by the USA's double standard of interpretation. Hypocrisy?
Good morning Mr RB and All
Hope you are having a good time in China on your holidays.
Anyway, beg to differ.
Singapore housings shall be one day like Hong Kong in the future.
Now also we had shoe boxes 35/45 claustrophobic last time called Studio and now 2 tiny roomed Flexi units.
Even in condos where they called shoe boxes.
Now even the estates plans and arrangement of the blocks are like Hong Kong where you could pass a cup of salt or vinegar or even lend an egg to your neighbour by passing thru your windows.
Also certain designs of the units undergone a long and dark tunnel with two units facing each other like the same designs we have in the older estates of Jalan Kukoh at Chin Swee Havelock.
These are the rental fast to accommodate the Singaporeans at that time in the 60s and 70s.
Now it's back in vogue at Bukit Batok West Plains Ave 8 where my daft friend paid S$169K for just 25 years leasehold.
In my opinion the costs less than 20K.
Just see the coming Tengah Meadows layout plan where there are about ten blocks in a circle with nearly six of them in the centre enclosed by the other outer blocks that faced each other directly.
Just like those Hakka Design Circular Block in China olden time.
Pity those who selected the enclosed blocks that see no outside world except their neighbours blocks facing them directly.
If I were to live in one, within a few years have to seek Mental Counselling as suffered from Claustrohobia.
Now the biggest is even 4 roomed as they knew they cannot sharpen thwir butcher knives too sharp to slaughter the Sinkies buying 5 roomed which is too expensive and then retired as Papuers.
With their what's nonsense Prime, Premier Middle and them Standard pricing at all these extortion prices prices Singaporeans in the future shall be staying in.cages bunks like the Hong Kong.
These Cut Thorats Scholars knew that in the past classification the difference in pricing just within certain boundaries next to one another differs a lot.
For example Jurong East and West.
JE Estates are higher in their pricing than JW with some vast differences in certain units and sizes.
Just across the boundary.
Furthermore they are also building and squeezing new flats into the old estates.
So now they KENG that their extortion prices must be EVEN for all these so called last time named Urban, Suburban and Rural or New Town pricing.
More profits lah!
So now they have this new term so as to go away with the old different uneven pricing which they cam make much lah!
No eyes see and pity the new generation of Worker Bees that are going to be enslaved by them.
Singaporeans had no time to even know their been shackled as they had to slog thru to service all these mortgages and liabilities.
As I said they will once a while thrown some subsistence of a few chicken wings for you all to survive and ai see beh see and ai wak beh wak so that you shall all continue to slog and earned monies for them
Chia lat!
USA spinning its homelessness problem into a 'lifestyle choice' propaganda also does nothing to musk its inequality crisis. Will Channel News America be upfront on the issue as well and not just keeping quiet trying to whitewash the reality. Cherry picking is not working with information at the push of a button.
Of course, homelessness is another issue in the USA that cannot be blamed on China, right? That will invite ridicule from others knowing that China lifted more than 800 million of its citizens out of poverty. What is the USA Government doing about homelessness in the USA? The comparison would be devastating.
The USA is already trying to blame China for its drug infestation issue, claiming that China is selling drugs to the country thus causing the problem. If that is so, China would now be having a bigger drug problem in the country with all the drugs being pushed around. Why is that not happening? It is happening in the USA because of the incompetent garbage running the country. The problem will just fester with 'garbage out and garbage in' in the White House after the election.
Oh, by the way, the White House was reported to be a 'drug house' recently, with the issue pushed under the rugs.
Over the years, our main media like to report "bad" things about other countries. This is just a way of making sillyporean think that papies is doing a great jobs in making sinkies life better than others. It is a way of ownself praise ownself without actually understanding the context of how things happen in other places. Sillyporean really need to wakeup and have a better analysis of whatever articles that is publish in the media.
Isn't this also blowing out other people's candle, hoping ours will shine brighter?
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